The present invention generally relates to devices for cleaning wire cables and more particularly to a wire brush cleaning assembly with an adjustable frame.
The conventional manner in which elevators are operated is by the hoisting and lowering of the elevator car by wire cables. The wire cables are constructed of individual strands of wire that are twisted to form the cables. Typically, five to six such cables are required for each elevator car installation, depending on the load rating of the elevator and length of the elevator""s run.
FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a single elevator installation 10. The cables 100 extend from the elevator car 110, over the hoist machine 130 and offset wheel 120 to the counterweight 140. The offset wheel 120 is required to offset the elevator car 110 from the counterweight 140 such that each will not interfere with the travel of the other. The hoist machine 130 is typically installed on the top or intermediate floor 150 of the building and is supported by legs 135.
As seen FIG. 1, at least one side of the cables separate from the hoist machine 130 substantially perpendicular to the floor 150, while the other side of the cables separate from the machine 130 at an oblique angle. This angle is caused by the above described offset required between the counterweight 140 and the car 110. From the machine 130, the cables 100 pass through two holes 160, 170 in the floor 150 to reach the car 110 and the weight 140 respectively.
The cables 100 require lubrication in order to operate properly. In the course of operation, the cables 100 become caked with contaminants that adhere to the lubricant and to the cables 100 themselves. The contaminants consist essentially of dirt and dust. For safety reasons, the cables 100 must be by periodically cleaned to remove the contaminants. Cables have usually been cleaned by hand using rags, lubricant and a wire brush. Often, cleaning was performed while the cables were in operation since halting use of the elevator for manual cleaning of cables could take the elevator out of service for several hours. As the cables typically travel at 1,400 feet/minute, manual cleaning is an inherently dangerous operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,882 (the ""882 patent) discloses an apparatus for mechanically holding a pair of brushes on either side of the cables 100 (in FIG. 1 hereof). As seen in FIG. 2, the apparatus of the ""882 patent includes a U shaped holder 180 that is bolted directly to the floor in the area of the holes through which the elevator cables pass. This U shaped holder 180 suffers from two significant disadvantages. First, there is no means by which the holder 180 can compensate for the above described angled orientation of the cables 100 on one side of the machine 130 (see FIG. 1). Accordingly, only the top row or top few rows of the bristles of the wire brush actually contact the cables to effect the cleaning. Secondly, most new configurations of machines 130, as illustrated in FIG. 1, are supported by legs 135. These legs 135 allow the machine 130 to be positioned such that the hole 160 is essentially under the machine 130 and only the front side of the cables 100 are accessible. As a result, the U shaped holder 180 of the ""882 patent cannot even be installed because one or the other legs of the U shaped frame 180 interferes with the machine 130 itself.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning apparatus that can adjust both for an angled orientation of cables and for tight installation configurations.
The present invention is a cleaning apparatus used for cleaning and maintaining elevator cables. The actual cleaning function is performed by wire brushes. Each brush is securely mounted to its own brush frame member. The brush frame members are adjustably connected to mounting members. The mounting members include first and second transverse mounting members that are adjustably connected in a transverse manner to the brush frame members. The mounting members are in turn adjustably connected to the legs or frame of the hoist machine of the elevator and not to the floor beneath the legs or frame. The brush frame members and the transverse mounting members are configured such that the bristles of the brushes contact the cables in order to perform the cleaning operation.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, two brush frame members are attached to the transverse mounting members in an opposing manner such that the bristles of each of the brushes face the bristles of the opposing brush. In this embodiment, both sides of the elevator cables can be cleaned using the two brushes. In an alternative embodiment, only a single brush is used to clean only a single side of the cables. In this embodiment, only a single brush frame member is employed to mount the single brush on the transverse mounting members. In a second alternative embodiment, legs are adjustably attached to the ends of the transverse mounting members farthest away from the hoist machine. The attachment of the legs to the transverse mounting members can be adjusted to match the angle of the face(s) of the brush(es) to the angle of the cables. This second alternative embodiment can be used with either the single or dual brush embodiments described above.